


Just My Luck

by SecretGhostGirl



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: A Tad Bit of Violence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Humor, I Wanna Cuddle With Eren, Levi's Shit Humor, Love Triangles, M/M, Multi, Requited Love?, Underage Drinking, Unrequited Love?, What am I doing?, oh my goodness, possibly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-12
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-15 10:36:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1301806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecretGhostGirl/pseuds/SecretGhostGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I, Eren Jaeger, am very certain on these few subjects when it comes to my sister's boyfriend.</p>
<p>He's surprisingly short. He's ridiculously badass. His humor is shit. (No. Literally. He has shit jokes. And lots of them.) He's expressionless 95% of the time. He's addicted to Adam Lambert, Journey, Katy Perry, Imagine Dragons, and karaoke. I'm serious. (Never challenge him to karaoke.) He can sometimes be extremely over protective. When he smiles, it's beautiful. He's ripped. Like, six-pack-nice-arms-great-ass-mother-of-god-ripped. Yeah, he's hot.</p>
<p>And I, Eren Jaeger, am 100% certain that I have fallen head over heels for my sister's boyfriend."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well... Yeah.

"Mikasa, I've told you a thousand times already, you look just fine. Hell, you look beautiful. Now will you _please_ get out of the bathroom?! I'm going to piss my pants!"

"5 more minutes, calm your junk."

My older sister, Mikasa, is in the middle of getting ready for yet another date with her new boyfriend this week. I count how many dresses, how many hairstyles, and how many shoes I had to witness her try before she finally descended into the bathroom and has been in there for the past hour. And here, she is telling me to quote, unquote _calm my junk..._

She exits the bathroom wearing a silky, red dress that falls just past her knees and black high heels that make her at least three inches taller than me. Her raven, black hair that is usually down at her shoulders in tied up in a perfect bun with some abandoned strands of hair that fell on her forehead. Her make up, the very little that she applied, is applied perfectly to her smooth, pale face. Her lips, now the same color red as her dress, curve up into a delicate smile.

"This doesn't look too fancy, does it?"

I groan, "Mikasa, it's perfect. Trust me. You're beautiful. Now, how about I tell you that with piss running down my legs."

She groans back at my, moving away from the bathroom entrance, "God, you can be such a pig."

I rush into the bathroom, relieving myself from having to wait an hour for the bathroom. I clean my hands and step out of the bathroom to bid my sister a good night at the front door.

"You know, Mikasa. I haven't seen you try so hard to look this nice with your past boyfriends."

"You know, somehow," she pauses, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks, "I think this one is different."

"Different?" I raise an eyebrow, "That can mean many things, ya know."

"But Eren, I'm serious. I know we have only been dating for almost a month, but I've never felt this way about someone before."

"Uh oh, Mikasa is turning soft. This guy must definitely be a good catch."

She lightly punches my shoulder, "Button it, _baby brother_. So, what are you going to do while I'm gone?"

I shrug, "Probably invite Armin and the boys over for pizza and video games if that's okay with you.

"Yeah, that's fine. But if I find out you boys got into my secret stash of beer again, which this time I've hidden it where you surely wouldn't be able to find it," she pauses, "but if you somehow do, your ass is grass. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," I stretch up to give my sister and light kiss on her cheek and say, "have a good night, sis. Don't stay out too late."

"I won't," she smiles.

"Oh yeah, when am I going to meet this so called perfect boyfriend of yours anyway? I have to approve of him before anything gets too serious."

She giggles, "Soon, Eren. Have a good night yourself," and without another word, she is out the front door.

I, Eren Jaeger, am 18 years old and have just graduated from the only high school in our small, quiet town. I am currently still living with my 23 year old sister, Mikasa Ackerman. Well, adoptive older sister. My parents adopted her into the family when the family doctor first told our parents they wouldn't be able to have kids. According to them, my mother was going through infertility, giving her the inability to have children. That's when Mikasa came into the picture. Less than 5 years later, my mother discovered that she was pregnate. You could imagine the shock and disbelief that shot through my parents minds. But, poof, somehow I was born. I definitely put that part of the backstory short, simple and sweet.

Right after Mikasa turned 18 years old, just before my 13th birthday, our parents suddenly vanished. No call, no text message, no note. Nothing. It definitely wasn't like our parents. Our mother was a worry rat; she smothered us with love and affection, and watched our us like a mother hen, getting worried easily. Our father was very calm and collected; he kept his cool 95% of the time, while the other 5% was him going through mental breakdowns because he overthinks things. This worried Mikasa and I to no end, of course. Mikasa called the police. Since our parents weren't really close with any other family members, there was no one else to call. The search began.

One week went by. Two weeks went by. A month. The day before my 13th birthday, we received the news - our parents have been dead. The night they vanished, they went on a secret date out of town without telling Mikasa and I. On their way home, they got into a car accident, causing their car to fall off a bridge and into the river below. No one called the police. No one did anything to help them at that moment. Nothing. My 13th birthday was spent locked up in my room, skipping school with my sister, and having her hold me in her arms while we watched Disney movies and I cried my eyes out.

Ever since our parents' passing, Mikasa and I have grown closer. That can be considered the only upside. That coming fall, she went to the university in the big city about 15 minutes away from our town. If any of her classes were while I wasn't in school, I would spend my time at my best friend, Armin's house. Along with Mikasa, I had Armin's comfort and support. He had been our neighbor who lived across the street from us since we were in diapers. Mikasa, Armin, and I were our own trio. Growing up, we were inseparable. Armin is like my brother. I would be nowhere without him or Mikasa.

I open our refrigerator, pulling out a can of Dr. Pepper. As I open the can of soda, I pull out my cell phone from the pocket of my faded jeans and dial Armin's number. After one ring, he answers, _"Hello? Eren?"_

"Armiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!"

He lets out a chuckle, _"Good evening to you, too. What's up?"_

"Mikasa's gone for the night. Call the boys. It's VIDEO GAME AND PIZZA NIGHT!"

_"Mikasa is okay with you inviting us over? I mean, you remember the last time we had a boys night at your house and Connie somehow happened to find Mikasa's stash of beer in the garage."_

"Oh, come on, it wasn't _that_ bad..."

_"Eren... Jean stripped naked, stole your neighbor's daucsond, and ran down the street with the dog between his legs screaming, LOOK AT MY WEINER."_

I let out snort at the memory, "God, I'm so fucking glad Marco got that on video. But yeah, she's cool with it. She says she really put thought into hiding her beer, so no one should find it this time."

_"Alright. When can I come over?"_

"Dude. You know you don't ever have to ask that question. You can come over whenever you want with out asking or stating it. Mikasa and I already discussed this with you."

_he lets out an innocent chuckle, "Sorry, sorry. I'm still not used to that. Well, alright then. I'll call the boys and will be over shortly."_

"Okay, Armin. See you in a few."

Immediately after hanging up on Armin, I call the nearest Pizza Hut and order 5 large pizzas, each how us 5 boys like our pizza. It has been a tradition for Armin, Jean, Marco, Connie, and I to have a video game and pizza night at my house that I have memorized what types of pizza everyone orders; Armin gets plain cheese, Jean gets meat lovers, Marco gets pepperoni with extra cheese, and I surprise Connie because that's what he always tells me to do. No matter what, I always order myself "the works", which is pretty much a pizza with everything on it. Oh yeah, a delicacy. The price is always surprising, but the job I have at a small cafe in town pays amazing, and the boys always pay me back.

Armin, of course, shows up immediately following me ordering the pizzas. My best friend; just shorter than me, blond hair that is actually just as long as Mikasa's but not as girly, blue eyes similar to the sky, very slim and slender, but what he lacks in physical appearance, he makes up for it in book smart. Seriously, this kid is a genius. No questions asked. Armin is half of the reason I didn't horribly fail my classes when we got into high school. He greets me with a smile and holds up the new game "Titan Fall." I gasp with happiness, violently snatching the game from his hands and tugging him with me to the living room to start the game up.

A few minutes later, the next to arrive is Connie. Connie; our joker of the group. He is just shorter than Armin, with a shaved head and brown eyes similar to chocolate. If I did any prank pulling while I was in school, it was always with Connie. It eventually got to the point where the teachers stopped trying to stop his joking habits and went along with them. Connie was voted "Most Likely to have Fun at a Party With" at our high school. Honestly, it's true. He greets me with a cheery grin, a fist bump, and 2 12 packs of Dr. Pepper. Yep, Connie definitely remembers my favorite soda.

Immediately following Connie's appearance, Jean and Marco show up together. They are each other's best friend, very similar to Armin and I. Marco greets me with a kind smile and a wave. Dark hair, as if it were black, dark brown eyes, always a smile on his face, and I could never forget about his freckles. Marco is probably the nicest guy I've ever met next to Armin. Nobody has ever seen Marco mad. I don't think Jean has even seen him mad before, which is a bit surprising to us all, seeing as these two are glued to each other at the hip.

Jean greets me with a grunt and a nod. Jean and I... How do you describe our relationship? There are those moments where I seriously could consider him like a brother, where there are others where I seriously want to rip out his throat and feed it to the pigeons at the park in town. Maybe it's the fact that his face reminds me of a horse, I'm never really sure myself. Jean is taller than myself, not by much, but not taller than Marco! who has a good inch or two in him. The best friends walk into my house, side by side, and join Connie, who has already started playing on my play station, while Armin strategized for him.

Hours go by, pizza is gone, and now we are snacking on chips and the occasional cookie, and somehow found ourselves playing Mario Party. I shared my controller with Armin as the two of us teamed up against our three friends, who are currently getting their asses handed to them on a silver platter.

"Goddammit, Eren! You know you're only winning because you have blonde brains on your side," Jean shouted with a mouthful of chips.

"What was that, horseface? I can't understand you, I don't speak _bullshit._ "

Before Jean got the chance to make a come back, Marco throws a cookie at him to shut him up, then turns his attention to me, "Eren, you never told us why Mikasa isn't home tonight in the first place."

"Oh yeah, she's on a date tonight with her new boyfriend."

"A date? Ooh la la," Connie laughs, "Mikasa's gonna get some..."

"Ew, Connie, no," I throw a handful of barbecued chips at his face. "This is my sister we're talking about, remember? That's gross."

"Remember, Connie, we are talking to _Sir. Sucksdicksalot,_ so of course he wouldn't want to talk about the happy times between a man and a woman." Hey, there it was, the ultimate comeback Jean was supposedly looking for. Too bad Marco didn't throw a cookie at him to shit him up this time.

"Shut the fuck up, Jean," I can feel my face grow warm, either with anger, embarrassment, or both. (The guys do know that I have a thing for other guys, but that I also like women, too. I'm never sure if I prefer one over the other, so sometimes Jean uses it as an excuse to jump at my ass.)

Armin nudges my shoulder to my right, "what's his name?"

"See, that's the thing. I don't know it. I know nothing about him except for the fact he makes Mikasa happy," my slouch forward. "I guess Mikasa doesn't trust me all that much after all..."

Connie starts laughing obnoxiously and gives my back a good slap, "Don't be stupid, Jaegermeister! Of course she trusts you! Maybe she's just trying to see if the guy is worthy enough to be like a brother to you before she gets him involved in your life."

Marco laughs, "That does sound like her."

Surprisingly, Connie did have a point. Mikasa is so over protective of me that Connie's example did make some sense. But still, she said that they have been together for over a month; I still think that me not knowing a single thing about this so called "Mr. Perfect" for almost a whole month is too long. Maybe I could just be over thinking things. I sit up a bit, but I can still feel my shoulders slouching.

"So," Jean shoves another cookie in his mouth, "when did your sister say she would be back?"

I sit up perfectly straight, "Good question. I have no fucking i-"

_Click!_

Mikasa's back. Yep. The five of us are now panicking. We knew everything around us was one big fucking mess, but there really wasn't anything we could do about it. Connie threw the scattered cookies at Jean, Marco picked up the bags of chips and places every single one on his lap, Armin stacked the pizza boxes neatly next to him, and I brought together every single Dr. Pepper can into a "can" tower.

You faintly hear Mikasa whisper something, and then a deep voice responds to her voice. _Holy shit, she brought her boyfriend over to meet me tonight!_ Talk about horrible timing, though. My friends and I look like teenage rats who have been locked up in their cages for a whole summer. I try not to look like I knew she was here, so I brought all of my attention back to Mario Party.

"Eren."

Forget Mario Party. I slowly glance up to my sister.

"Eren, I would like you to meet my boyfriend, Levi. Levi, the messy brown haired boy is my younger brother, Eren."

Levi? 

I haven't even paid attention to her boyfriend yet. I glance to her left and-

_Holy shit..._

This "Levi" guy, is short. I guess that's the first feature I notice about him. Mikasa is actually a good inch taller than him ( I kind of curious about the height difference when she was in her high heels). He has a very slim feature, but since his arms are crossed over his chest, you can definitely tell through his black jacket that he definitely has some muscle on him. His dark, raven hair is the same shade of black of Mikasa's, with... Is that an undercut? I thought a Jean was crazy for getting one. His steel, grey eyes feel like they're staring deep into my soul, making me feel like I was sitting around with my friends naked. What confused me the most, was the fact this guy was expressionless. Mikasa looked like the happiest girl on the planet, while this guy was just... Blank.

Mikasa waves a hand for me to get up. I do so, and walk up to my sister and her boyfriend. I know now his means she wants me to greet him in some sort of fashion. Why are my steps shakey and unsteady? What the hell? I walk straight up to her boyfriend and look him dead in the eye. Once again, his facial expression doesn't change. His eyes still look icy, and actually send goosebumps down my back. I take a deep breath and hold out my hand, "It's a pleasure to m-meet you, Levi."

He looks down at my hand, as if he's studying it- like he's questioning whether he should shake my hand or not. _Oh, god, I'm probably a really bad first impression on this guy. Oh fuck, I prob-_ "Likewise," he takes my hand in his and gives it a firm grip and shake. His hand feels really soft, a lot softer than I imagined. It makes me imagine what it would feel like to have hands that soft travel across my arms, down my back, and -

I feel my face growing warm, _Shit, shut up, Eren!_ I let go of his hand, "P-Pardon me, but my friends are over. I'm sorry for disturbing you."

"It's okay," he says back to me, the words rolling softly off his tongue, "I'm just here to drop your sister off." He turns all of his attention back to Mikasa, "Have a good night with the brats."

She giggles, "I'll try not to."

They both steal a quick kiss from each other. As a Levi heads for the front door, he looks back and gives me a quick glance. Again, my cheeks feel warm. _Wh-What is he staring at me for?_ I could have sworn I heard him chuckle before walking out the front door and closing it behind him.

Without even looking at Mikasa, I walk back over to the boys and sit back down next to Armin. I feel like I can't even breath; my heart is running a marathon and I can feel it running laps up my throat. I let out one big sigh, _This is definitely not good. Not good at all._

Armin leans over and whispers in my ear, "Is everything okay, Eren?"

My hands shaking, I place one on Armin's shoulder as I lean and whisper in his ear, "Mikasa... Her boyfriend is hot."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings!
> 
> So, I'm currently at work right now.
> 
> This will be edited after my shift is over.
> 
> Kindly let me know if there are any mistakes, etc.
> 
> Thank you :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some actual interaction between brother and boyfriend?
> 
> Possibly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will start off as a continuation from chapter 1, then pretty much go on from there. This chapter may be kinda boring, I apologize ahead of time Dx
> 
> Ps...if you can catch any head cannons I have for our lovely babies as this story goes along, I'll give you a cookie :3 
> 
> Pss... If you have been reading my other two fics I'm taking a break from both of those due to the fact that I moved and can't figure out what I did with the notebook that had the next chapters to both stories, so I'm being stubborn :P
> 
> Thank you for all the love this as received so far, it really means a lot to me :)

"Eren, you're not serious right now, are you?"

Armin's voice is just barely at a whisper, trying not to interrupt our three friends battling each other on Mario party. I glance over at my blond friend to get a better look at his face; his blue eyes are filled with worry, and his eyebrows have scrunched together, like I'm being scolded by a parent. It's true, whenever I think of something stupid or due something stupid, Armin makes that face. Is saying I thought my sister's boyfriend was kinda hot a stupid thought?

How serious was I really? _Levi..._ Honestly, I'll give my sister credit because he is a looker, in some kind of way. I don't know. There was that look in his eye - that look when he left a few minutes ago. What was that... A glare? A regular stare? A regular look? I can't tell; I couldn't read his face. His face though. Along with his eyes, there is his small nose, his thin lips, the whole structure... The whole nine yards. I'm so serious, my head is spinning.

"What if I am serious?"

My whisper did sound a bit sarcastic, but it wasn't intended that way. Armin raises an eyebrow at me, then sighs. He knew this was going to turn into a talk down the road, and by "talk", I mean me ramble about how good looking I think Levi is. It will happen at some point.

Armin doesn't say anything back to me. He turns his attention back to the game after Jean calls Connie a "fucking turd nugget" (he stole a star from him in a battle mini game, causing Jean to go from first place, to dead last. It helped me though because now, I'm in first place). 

About another half hour went by, and with Marco actually being the winner of the whole thirty-five rounds we played on Mario Party, the gang finally decided to call it quits. Marco made Jean and Connie stay and help me clean up while Armin ran back to his house across the street to ask his parents if I could spend the night. _God bless you, Marco._

Jean and Marco agreed to go over to Connie's once they left my house, and they do so. They just left. Armin comes running back into our house with a bright smile, saying that I am welcome over anytime, just like he is at mine and Mikasa's home. I run upstairs to grab pajamas and a change of clothes, then run back downstairs to join Armin in the living room. Mikasa comes out of her room, changed into a plain red tshirt and grey sweatpants, signaling she is going to go down to the basement and workout in the makeshift gym we made down there. She grabs a water bottle from the fridge and walks into the living room, "So, what are my boys up to this evening?"

I shrug, "I was going to stay over at Armin's tonight. Kind of a last minute shindig."

"That's fine. I just wish I would've known you were going over by Armin's tonight. I would've invited Levi to stay here longer tonight. But it's okay," she walks up to me and gives me a small hug. "Don't party too hard with the Arlerts, okay?"

Armin coughed, "Very funny..."

I hug my sister back and softly kiss her on the cheek. I don't say anything back to her about Levi, but I tell her I would let her know when I would be home tomorrow, since she has to work all day. Before Armin and I walk out the front door waving goodbye to my sister, she calls me back to her. I tell Armin I will meet him at his house, so he leaves while I head back into the kitchen to meet my sister.

She hands me a piece of paper with a phone number written in it. I raise an eyebrow at her.

"If you ever need anything, and I can't help you, give Levi and call or text whenever you need it. We talked about this tonight and feel that you having his number would be best," she smiles. "Don't have too much fun without me," and she turns away to head to the basement.

Just in time, I might add, because I didn't know how long I could keep myself from holding back a ferocious blush. I can't believe I am fangirling (or... fanboying, in this case) over getting Levi's number. This is only for if I'm stuck in a pickle and Mikasa can't help me out of it; she said Levi would be there to help me. I blush even harder at the very though, my face probably turning a new shade of red that a color wheel hasn't even produced yet. This could give me the opportune to get to know him, even if it's just a slightest little bit, the slimmest of information, whatever it may be. _Just please, Eren... Don't make this creepy._

I shuffle out the front door and run across the street to Armin's house, extra clothes and such in a plastic bag. The crinkle sounds distract me from my surroundings, not even bothering to look both ways... Sometimes I am an idiot. 

Armin's house is quiet small, but is very comforting both inside and out. Two stories, almost plain, both it has a double door front door entrance, as if it's screaming that you will always be welcomed in their home. I give the front door one quick knock before checking to see if the front door was unlocked; it is. I suck in a breath, then enter the Arlert household feeling somewhat nervous - due to the fact this is the fact time I'm entering the house without Armin at the front door.

"Eren," Armin's voice is very faint, coming from upstairs, "my mom left a Dr. Pepper for you in the kitchen before everyone left to go into town! Grab it and get up here!"

"Will do, my brainy blonde counterpart!"

Dr. Pepper is the drink from the gods. Don't deny it.

I grab the fizzy drink from the kitchen and run through the house and up the stairs to Armin's room. His room is fairly small, not imposing or complaining that his parents and grandparents (who also live with them) have significantly larger bedrooms. Next to his single bed is a small, black desk with normal knick knacks on it such as pictures, a laptops, and old textbooks that he will be using when college rolls in just about three months. _Ugh, I don't want to think about college right now._ Surprisingly, Armin fit a small living chair that has a pull out bed for whenever I want to crash at his house for a night or two (or anyone else for that matter, but as far as I know, I'm the only one who has slept over at his house.)

"Good, you're here," he turns to me, who is standing in the doorway of his room. "Now you can explain to me the monstrosity that had shot out of your mouth not too long ago."

I sigh, "Don't freakin' exaggerate on me, Armin." I throw my plastic bag on the out of place pull-out-bed chair and sit next to my friend on his bed. "What do you mean by that?"

"Eren, you called Mikasa's boyfriend..."

"Levi."

"Yes, Levi. Excuse me. You called _Levi_ hot. Care to explain?"

"Holy shit," I laugh, my stomach tying itself in knots, "where did this sass come from, Armin? Not in character..."

A slight flush of pink makes its way across his cheeks, "I-I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm trying to be cautious here. That's just who I am. But seriously, Eren. I haven't heard you call anyone hot in... A long time, it feels like. I know what happens when you do. You know, too, don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah," I bring my knees up to my chest. 

Explanation; this is how Armin knows me so well. Whenever I call someone hot, whether they may be a man or a woman, I always end up having feelings for them. And when I say feelings, I mean _feelings._ Yes. That deep, emotional shit.bit always happens, but it has never gotten anywhere. I've never been in a real relationship. I've never had my first kiss yet. Eren Jaeger is, in fact, a pure, innocent, heart warming virgin. I'm honestly not ashamed in that - I'm ashamed at how I easily fall for someone when I think they're hot and get myself screwed over.

"Eren," his shoulder slump forward and he drops his gaze from mine, "you know I hate to be the downer here..."

"Armin, I get it. I'm not going to make a move or anything," I fake a grin. "I can't do that anyway." My eyes leave Armin, focusing on his shaggy, grey carpeting, "Doing that would mean Mikasa would get her heart broken. I can't do that, especially after everything she's done for me. Plus, I know nothing about him except for his name, what he looks like, and his phone number. "

Armin's eyes suddenly lost their sparkle, "Eren, please don't tell me-"

"Oh hell, Armin, no. I'm not a creepy stalker," I snort at the shocking look plastered to my best friend's face. "Mikasa actually gave it to me literally just before I left to come here. She said that they had talked and me having his number would be a good thing if I were ever to get into trouble and Mikasa can't be there to help me."

"Ah, well, that's good, though." His smile is calm, "Mister Jaegerbombbastic does cause a line of chaos wherever he goes."

I give him a shove, "You're so funny a forgot how to laugh... But hey, Armin. Maybe this could give me a chance to get to know him better. You know? To see if he's worthy of being with my sister."

He shrugs, "That does make sense."

"And besides, Armin, just because I called him hot, doesn't mean I actually _like_ him. Yes, I find him attractive, but that's it, and probably going to be the only thing. Trust me."

"Well then," he shrugs, "whatever you say."

In retrospect, I did mean what I said to Armin. I also want to get to know Levi for my own personal enjoyment. The man had an aura of mystery that definitely caught my attention. I was right; making an obvious move on my sister's boyfriend is without a doubt uncalled for and shouldn't even be considered. I know nothing about him. Nothing. You can't like someone when you know nothing about them, it doesn't work that way. Look can make you attracted to a person, but looks can't control your emotions.

Levi's pretty face isn't going to get to me. I need to think about Mikasa here. I can't let my past "flings", if you even call them that, get to me.

Armin and I end up watching World War Z up in his room while skyping Connie from Armin's laptop. The movie is Connie's favorite because he thinks Brad Pitt is a colossal badass and zombie movies give you an excited tingling feeling in your stomach that makes you just want to do parkour, like jump off a building or something. Armin doesn't even like zombie movies - him buying this movie was all thanks to Connie's peer pressure.

Once it his one in the morning, Armin finally decides to hit the hey and go to bed. Connie and I stay up for a little while longer and talk about whatever pops into our immature minds. This makes me slightly miss when we were in high school and we pulled the most twisted and hilarious pranks on our teachers and friends (mostly Jean because his reactions would be the most hilarious and memorable). I can feel my eyes grow heavy the longer we talk, so I finally tell Connie I would talk to him later. He bids me a due with one of his many cheesy nicknames that my small circle of friends came up for me before closing the connection between us.

I pull the covers of Armin's pull out mattress and snuggle into the warmth of the blankets before losing the battle of trying to stay conscious.

_______________________________________________________

_"I CAN SEE IT AS YOU TURN TO STONE, SO CLEARLY, I CAN HEAR YOU SAY 'DONT LEAVE, DONT GIVE UP ON ME', TWO WEEKS, AND YOU RAN AWAY, I REMEMBER, DONT LIE TO ME, COULDNT SEE IT WAS NOT THAT WAY, SWEAR ILL NEVER GIVE UP ON YOU."_

"Eren, you're alarm is going off. Stop it."

Armin's muffled voice makes me groan. As the chorus repeats itself, I roll over to the other side of the pull out bed.

"EREN. PLEASE."

I groan again and barely say, "Sorry..."

I reach over to Armin's bedside table where my phone sits and turn off my alarm. Opening my right eye just a crack, getting a glimpse of what time it currently is and why my alarm is going off in the first place. The screen of my phone reads;

_Eren, you have work in an hour. Get your lazy ass up now!"_

My eyes open the widest they have ever been, "Oh, shit! Fuck! I have to be to work in an hour! FUCK! I forgot I worked this morning!" I immediately jump out of bed and rush to the bathroom, but stop short at Armin's bedroom door, "Wait a minute, how in the hell am I supposed to get to work? Mikasa has the car, I don't have enough money for a cab, and the bus is a pain in the ass... Dammit!" 

Armin sits up in his bed, his blonde hair in various knots and tangles, "And both of my parents are at work, plus my grandparents don't drive." 

Suddenly, out of the blue, my best friends gets a shit eating grin that actually stops my breathing for a few seconds, "Uh, Armin?" 

"You're in a pickle, aren't you?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Having troubles?" 

"I guess..." 

"Then... You what you can do, Eren?" 

My heart starts thumping violently in my chest when my kind _finally_ registers what my best friend is trying to say to me, and my face turns a scorching hot red. I can't breath. I didn't think that I would have to do this for awhile, but I guess I have no other choice; I have to call him. 

I _have_ to call Levi. 

I glance down at my phone in my hands, noticing that I'm shaking with fear and nervousness. Fear? I'm scared to call Levi? All I'm doing is asking the guy if he can take me to work within the next hour so my ass doesn't get fired. Only I would make a big deal about this. Mikasa said it would be fine if I called Levi whenever I was stuck in a problem. She said Levi wouldn't mind if I needed to call him. 

_God, I'm such a pussy._

"Oh my," Armin snickers, "Is the mighty Eren Jaeger... Scared?" 

"Wh-What? I am not... Sc-Scared!" 

Armin is now cackling with laughter, "Well, then, calling your sister's boyfriend who you think is incredibly hot should just be like a walk in the park, _right?_ " 

"... God, I hate it when you're always right." 

Without even giving Armin a second glance, I scroll through my contacts on my phone until I run into Levi's number. I stare at the numbers, as if each one was taunting me individually. What if he's busy? What if I'm bothering him? What if he thinks I'm annoying and obnoxious? What if... What if... Man, I flipping hate those two words when they're stuck next to each other. They're making my thumb shake just millimeters away from the touch screen of my phone.

I take a deep breath, hoping to empty my mind of everything but my job, and Levi... And I press "dial". The ringing hitting my ear is killing me. Armin excuses himself to the bathroom as I wait anxiously, really hoping Levi picks up the phone. At the same time, I guess I really am that scared that he will answer, and I fumble with my words. Because you know, I'm _Eren "McSmooth" Jaeger._

"...Hello?"

 _Shit._ "Uh... Levi? This is Eren."

"I have caller I.D, ya know? Every cell phone has caller I.D."

I laugh it off nervously, "Yeah, kinda figured."

"So," he huffs, "what can I help you with, kid?"

"Uh, um... W-Well.. Y-You see..."

"Brat, use your words. I'd rather deal with verbal diarrhea than an illiterate idiot. What's up?"

"Sorry." _Dammit, Eren. Pull yourself together. Stop acting like a fucking six year old._ "Levi, are you busy right now?"

There is a brief silence, "Not really."

"Um... Then... Would you be able to... Possibly... Take me to work within the next hour?"

More silence, "Where do you work?"

"Maria Rose Cafe... In the city."

"I know where the cafe is, brat," once again, silence. "I'll be at your house in fifteen minutes. Be ready, Jaeger. I'm not a patient man."

The other end of the call went silent. He hung up on me. I didn't even get to thank him. His words left his mouth so smoothly, as if they purred into my ear to make my insides squirm. I drop the phone from my ear, feeling my face grow warm and the tips of my ears burning.

Armin scurries into his room and literally throws himself onto his bed with joy, "So, did you get ahold of Levi?"

"...Yeah."

"And?"

"...I got a ride to work."

"That's great! You should probably start getting ready then."

"Yeah. Mind if I borrow your shower for possibly the fastest shower I have ever taken in my life...?"

"Eren Jaeger... Take a quick shower? Please. The human race will probably figure out how to make cars fly, prevent global warming, and have pizza in a can before Eren jaeger learns how to take a quick shower," my best friend is now holding his stomach trying to prevent himself from laughing too loudly.

"Fuck you, too, asshole."

Armin's laugher increases in sound and gets more wild as he's literally rolling around on his bed. I roll my eyes, trying to ignore my best friend as I grab one of the towels he keeps in his room and literally run to the bathroom on this floor. My "quick" shower literally just consisted of me washing my hair and using the shampoo that was running down from my hair to wash my body.

I keep my word, and I'm in and out in less than 5 minutes. Yes, my fastest shower ever. While I'm still in the bathroom, I change into the clothes I brought with me to Armin's, which I can also wear to work; a plain, forest green t-shirt and dark blue jeans (along with clean boxers, of course). I brush my teeth with the spare tooth brush Armin keeps for me in the bathroom, then proceed to dry my hair with Armin's hair dryer in hopes of taming and controlling my shaggy brunette hair. Damn, I need a haircut.

I walk into Armin's room to find a clean dressed Armin with two bowls of Cocoa Pebbles sitting on his desk. Again, this is why Armin is my best friend - he keeps a secret stash of Cocoa Pebbles in his room for when I sleep over. I flick a spoonful of my favorite cereal at my best friend as a so called _I told you so_ for actually taking a fast shower. As I take my last bite, my phone vibrates in my pocket. As the chocolate sensation dances on my tongue, I pull out my phone and glance down at the text message I receive;

_You ready, brat? I'm here._

"Dammit, Armin, he's here already." My heartbeat steadily picks up with nervousness.

"I'll take care of your bowl and all that. You can come back tonight and get the rest of your things," he sends me a soft smile.

"You're the best, seriously," I ruffle his blonde hair, giving him my thanks one last time before I leave his room and his house, making sure I have the necessities which would be my phone, my wallet, and my keys. 

I take one step out of Armin's house and the first thing that catches my eye is a black car - a 1969 Cheverolt Corvette Stingray to be exact. This car is beautiful. Stunning. The equivalent to sex on wheels. It leaves me breathless and grabs my attention and my curiosity. The driver sitting in the car... Levi. For some odd reason, for the 60 seconds that I first met Levi, and the minute conversation we had this morning, this car was made for him. Nothing screams _Levi_ more than a gorgeous black car, and that crisp leather vest he happens to be working (if that's the right word since it looks good on him).

_Stop it, Eren. Get your poor, misguided, still-stuck-its-teenage-years heart back on track here. He's doing this for Mikasa, not for you. Stop it._

Damn me.

"Um..." I knock on the passenger side window, "it's me."

Levi shoots me a quick glance before unlocking the passenger side door, allowing me to awkwardly sit myself in his gorgeous car.

"I didn't see you come out of your house."

"Oh, that's because I slept over at my best friend's house last night. He lives across the street from us."

"Ah." He says nothing more to me as he puts his gorgeous ass car in drive and we begin out "journey" to my work. 

This silence. It's killing me. I really want to say something to him. Anything. But, of course, I'm Eren Jaeger, way with words and can make your heart melt in an instant. I occasionally steal a glance of the man siting in the driver's seat. I've never seen anyone so focused on the road ahead of them. Not even Mikasa is this into her driving. I'm the most distracted driver you'll ever meet (besides Connie, but that's a whole 'nother story). I drop my gaze down to my feet, which are taping worse than a tap dancer without an off switch. My hands have gone clammy, and I can't stop licking my dry lips. My nervousness is more easier to read than an open book.

"Kid. Calm your tipity tapity toes. They're running worse than diarrhea. Stop it."

"Oh, ah, s-sorry."

Did this grown man just throw a shit joke at me? No way. I make a mental note to myself that this will need to be remembered...

"So, uh, Levi... this car is really nice."

He sighs, "It was my boss's."

"Was?"

"We are... Friends, in a way, I guess. Or rather, we just give each other belongings we don't want anymore."

"He didn't want this car anymore?!"

"Guess not."

"Where do you work, Levi?"

Damn, I didn't mean to ask that question right now. My word vomit is horrendous. He shoots me a glance with a raised eyebrow, probably just as conflicted with my word as I am. Turning his attention back to the road, he answers, "Just a normal office in the city for a normal, old music company."

"Music, huh? Sweet."

He shrugs, "It's alright. Hey, kid, I'm going to put some music on, and you better not judge my taste in music, because everyone does. If one negative word spits out your lips, those lips of yours will be black and blue in 0.5 seconds."

A shudder worms its way down my spine, "Uh, yeah, I don't mind. I won't say anything."

"Good." Without another word, he grabs his iPod sitting in his cup holder, attached to his stereo through wires in a way that I am not familiar with whatsoever. He appears to be scrolling through his music, until he clicks on a song.

Definitely the last song I expected to be flowing through the speakers in his car.

"I know exactly what you're thinking, brat."

"I'm not thinking anything. I'm not thinking that Katy Perry is the last artist I'd expect to hear that you like."

"Hey, Katy Perry is a goddess. Don't judge."

At that moment, drowning out "Last Friday Night", drowning Katy Perry, drowning out "the goddess", is the sound of my obnoxious laughter. I can barely Levi mutter how much of a fucking brat I am, which makes me cackle with laughter even harder.

"Oh, and I bet your taste in music is any better, you little shit. What's your favorite artist? How do you listen to, huh?"

"Uh, I guess I like... Fall Out Boy, and Panic At The Disco, and Marianas Trench..."

"Hm, not bad, kid. Not bad at all."

"Can I go through your iPod, Levi?"

"Fuck no."

"But-"

"Fine, but if you drop it, I can't guarantee you'll arrive to work alive."

I carefully grab his iPod from the cup holder. This music player is mostly filled with music by Katy Perry, along with Adam Lambert, Imagine Dragons, Journey, and then random songs from various artists. 

"Adam Lambert, huh?" I snicker.

"Hey, stop judging, brat. He's hot, and his music rocks."

I shrug off the fact that he called Adam Lambert _hot_ , "I don't know too many songs by Journey, or Imagine Dragons though, since you have a lot of songs by them."

"That has to change, kid. Put on 'Separate Ways' by Journey."

I do just that, letting the classic rock fill the car and hit my music bone. No one says anything more. We just let the music flow, and enjoy. This kind of silence, I don't mind at all. This is a step forward; bonding with Levi over music.

_Someday love will find you. Break those chains that bind you._  
 _One night will remind you, how we touched and went our separate ways._  
 _If he ever hurts you, true love won't desert you._  
 _You know I still love you, though we touched and went our separate ways._

~~~

Maria Rose cafe is a small, family owned cafe that gets a fair amount of customers with a lot of regulars. I'm one of two employees that aren't related to the owner, or isn't a close friend of theirs. Petra Ral, the owner, is a short, and small young woman, who is honestly one of the sweetest I've ever met. She runs the cafe with her fiancé, Auruo, who have apparently been together since high school. Their niece, Sasha, works serving customers with me. She's... Energetic? Is that the right word? Not sure, but she's fun to work with.

Auruo's cousins, Gunther and Erd, who are also best friends, work in the kitchen making the sweets that are served, along with doing the cleaning throughout the cafe. Sasha's best friend, Krista, is our cashier, and that's her main job at the cafe, if she doesn't work with Sasha and I. The only other person besides me that isn't in this loop of the family and friends is Bertholdt, who works in the back with Gunther and Erd, and is our main pastry chef.

Levi and I pull up to the cafe, and there it is again, the awkward silence. We just sit there. I'm waiting for Levi to say something to me, anything really. But I don't know if that's going to happen. I'm sweating with anticipation.

"Well," I cough, "Thank you for the ride, Levi. I really appreciate it."

"Yeah yeah. When do you get off of work?"

That question catches me off guard (my heart most of all), "Uh, I think I close tonight."

"I'll pick you up then, too. Just slip me a text whenever you can."

"O-Okay. Thank you again, Levi. Really, I-"

"Just go do your job, Jaeger."

Without another word, I nod and exit the car just as awkwardly as I entered. I close the door and shuffle my way through the front door or the cafe. We have our usuals at this time, which is very calming. Sasha greets me with a smile (and a mouth stuffed with a muffin) and a greet her back with a wave as I head to the back to clock in. 

"Eren," I turn around to see Petra, her strawberry blonde hair tied up in a pony tail and she's wearing an apron, meaning she going to be helping Bertholdt with the sweets today, "You're fairly early today."

"Uh, yeah. I got a ride to work this morning."

Suddenly, she's squinting up at me, and is in my personal space bubble, "Your face is bright red, Eren. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm... Fine, Petra. Just... A little warm."

"Yeah, I guess the summer heat is coming earlier now than normal. Take a break and drink some water before you start your shift."

I nod and head to the break room, closing the door behind me.

_Dammit..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday to our kawaii little shit, Eren Jaeger c:
> 
> Up next; after work... Yeah. Don't know what else.
> 
> Sorry if the end of this chapter seems weird. Everything will fall into place next chapter.
> 
> Please don't hit me... It's 2am... /.\


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Super Levi to the rescue!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A whole month and a half without an update...  
> *slaps self*
> 
> First, I'm so sorry, everyone!  
> Everything has been stressful lately... With me working full time, being sick, my aunt passing away, and family issues, I haven't had a lot of time to write and edit. _Or post this shit._  
>  I apologize from the bottom of my heart and will make sure updates are not this far apart.
> 
> Second, I also want to thank you all for 100+ kudos and all of the nice comments this fic has received so far. They help me get through my days and are so sweet and asdfghjkl x3
> 
> Third, I want to state right away that I am 100% percent an Ereri fangirl at heart. I don't ship RivaMika whatsoever. However, for the plot, for the story, for the fic, RivaMika moments will happen in later chapters. But this fic is centered around Ereri. Most definitely. I just thought I would give readers a heads up so no one chews off my head xP
> 
> And finally, I don't know how I feel about this chapter though. Maybe soon I'll get to _actual_ plot, but in the meantime, enjoy a badass Levi in this chapter :3

_I'm closing the cafe tonight, so is around 10:30 a good time to be picked up?_

In all honestly, the thought of texting Levi scares me. I'm normally a half assed texter and use a lot of emoticons and abbreviations and all that mushy goodness, but I have that feeling Levi would refuse to talk to me, period, if I didn't use proper English, along with "smileys" and "winky faces". I tie on my forest green apron with two bright, red roses smack dab in the center, right on the chest area. Petra has given me time to get ahold of my ride so they know when to pick me up, so I sit in the break room, and wait... Not so patiently.

I wonder if Levi is usually a fast responder, or takes his time and replies whenever he feels like it. He just seems like the person who hardly uses their phone at all, actually. Maybe for only emergencies, or work related mumbo jumbo. I tap my fingers on the table sitting in front of me, trying to remember the beat to "Separate Ways", the first Journey song we listened to on the way here.

My phone beeps, and my hearts begins to race.

_Yeah. That's fine. I'll be there a little after then. I have stuff to care of around that time, but I will be there._

There's something growing in my gut, something that's tickling me, that's fuzzy and warm. I can't stop it. One simple text message has me giggling and wiggling like a fifteen year old girl. The grip on my phone gets tighter, so tight I can my hand growing numb, but with pure bliss.

_Thank you so so soooooo much, Levi! :)_

I press send before I realize that I sent him a smiley face. I'm embarrassed over a goddamn smiley? I don't wait for a response, thinking I'm not going to get one anyway; I set my phone in my pocket of my jeans and exit the break room. 

Petra usually closes the cafe around 10pm. I told Levi around 10:30 since I am closing, so that I have time to clean up and be ready by the time he arrives. Though their normally isn't much to clean up at the end of the day, I still think a half an hour is a good amount of time to make sure everything is taken care of.

Work starts off smoothly, with most of the customers being our usuals arriving right at the _usual_ times. Work is... Normal. Krista gets hit on, as usual. If you want my opinion, she is quite cute; short, petite, shiny blonde hair, and sparkling blue eyes, and smile that warmed your heart. She always takes it like a champ, though, saying she is currently unavailable (I'm torn between wondering if she's just saying that to get them off her back, or if she's actually serious. If she is, they're pretty lucky). Sasha tries to sneak some treats from Bertholdt when he wasn't looking. Usually, her attempts fail.

Bertholdt , being two years my senior, is normally a shy, quiet guy who gets nervous very easily. He's freakishly tall, too, like he's some sort of colossal giant underneath human skin. He never really made eye contact with anyone either, unless you were I or Petra (how he became so calm around me, I will never know). Sasha, being just of my height, usually thinks she can use Bertl's height as an advantage to sneak food away whenever she has to go into the kitchen. Doesn't really work that way, but she's very determined, I'll give her credit.

Gunther and Erd are normally very calm and very quiet. Both of them are normally stuck in the back with Bertholdt, Auruo, and Petra that I don't really get to have normal conversations with them unless we happen to take breaks at the same time, or they wonder up front to grab dirty dishes and clean up tables. Both are hard working men who I would consider assistant managers, since a Petra puts them in charge if her and Auruo can't make it into work (which hasn't happened a lot since I've started, but I don't mind them at all).

Auruo is the kind of man that seems - what's the word I'm looking for... Tiring? I mean, he is a hard worker. He definitely does his job if it means he will impress his fiancé, which will make him have a big ego and become very hard to approach. But his intentions are good. He's not really a bad guy at all, just sometimes a pain in the ass to work with. Petra scolds him when he turns into a rambler for any apparent reason, because him rambling will lead to him biting his tongue, sometimes so hard that he'll draw blood. This is why Auruo does more business work for the cafe than dealing with customers, etc, because she's afraid he's get his tongue blood in the drinks and pastries. _Gross._ I give Petra props for putting up with him, but if she's happy, then it don't have a problem with him at all.

Petra treats me as if I'm her own son or little brother. She's very kind, bubbly, understanding, and passionate when it comes to her cafe. Before I was old enough to start working, Mikasa had a job here when the cafe first opened. That's half of the reason I got the job when I was able to start working in the first place. Mikasa and Petra were close when she worked here, which means she knew about our parents. She offered Mikasa and I anything that we needed, whether it was her arms for a loving and comforting hug, or a shoulder to cry on if the world seemed too big without our parents. She's not too much older than Mikasa, short (but not shorter than Krista), strawberry blonde hair, and a smile that tugs on your heart strings. I'm very grateful for her, in more ways than words could ever explain.

For me, I just try to stay as normal and boring as possible so that I don't get too many weirdos trying to start conversations with me. I'll talk to our regulars, but even then it took me awhile before conversations with them didn't go awkward. Every now and then, a creep will enter the cafe, claiming that "he has a thing for dingalings and would like a taste"... That's when I learned to not let my anger get the better of me and have Sasha take care of them. That's one trait of Sasha that is tolerable; she's very understanding. 

It seems like we're going to have one of those moments.

We're getting pretty close to closing time, so we don't happen to have many customers at this time. The door chimes and in walk a group of what looks like six older men who I'm guessing just got done having about one too many drinks. The bastards are literally hanging all over each other, are loud and obnoxious, and the smell of alcohol is strong, lingering all the way towards the cash register. They take a seat in the booth in the far front corner of the cafe.

I know better. Idiotic, drunk guys and innocent, sober girls don't mix well. I wasn't going to let Krista or Sasha deal with these losers. I take a deep breath, and exhale slowly, trying to calm down my anger that's already bubbling up inside me as I walk over to their table.

"Good evening, gentlemen. Welcome to Maria Rose cafe," _So far, so good._ "My name is Eren, and I will be your server for today. Have you gotten a chance to look at our menu to see if you're interested in anything?"

One of the men raises their hand slightly, words a bit slurred, "Yeah, I was wondering... Are you on the menu, Eren? Because you look fucking delicious."

All of his buddies give him high fives and congratulate him on his corny ass pick-up line. I take in a breath, seeing as now I'm most likely ten times more annoyed than I was three seconds ago. I shake off his remark, "Unfortunately, sir, no, I am not. No one is. Can I interest you in our daily specials if you need help deciding?"

"Yeah," another speaks up, "I will take a _Eren_ latte, while my bros and I will share a slice of _Eren_ pie."

The drunk bastards all chuckle to themselves, and now I'm really starting to get pissed. Idiots like these are exactly why Mikasa has hidden her alcohol. I can't say I'm an idiot drunk, but I can only imagine how I act. I don't remember half the time. If I ever acted like these fools, I'm ashamed of myself. (And also with the fact I'm not twenty-one, but that's beside the point.)

"Look, sir," my voice gets a little more stern, "I'm going to have to ask you to please stop with the rude comments. I don't take things like that here and neither does anyone else here. So, if you don't mind."

The one on the end of the booth to my right stands up, struggles as well I might add, and reaches out a hand to me, "Aw, c'mon, babe. We're just having a little fun here. Now, if you can't have fun now, maybe when you get off work you-"

"Sorry, I'm seeing someone tonight. Now, if you don't stop with the comments and just order something off the menu like normal people do, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave," I'm down right disgusted now. Sure, I end up with a group of drunk "gay" guys, but this is ridiculous. And I wasn't lying. Levi is taking me home. He's meeting me here. And I'm sure as he'll not going to run off with a group of strange, drunk, gay guys. Not in a million years.

"Hmph," the man crosses his arms and sits back down, "just glasses of water for us then."

I smile, "Coming right up."

I head to the area where the drinks are made and take out six cups that we use if any customers ask of water. As I'm filling up the cups, Petra comes up behind me and asks, "Are those men harassing you, Eren?"

"Eh," I shrug, "I guess, but I took care of it. Nothing to worry about, Petra."

Her facial expression, filled with worry, doesn't change, "I can ask Auruo or Bertholdt if they can stay and help you close. I think maybe-"

"No, it's okay, Petra," I assure her with a calm smile. "I don't need any help. I'll be fine. No biggie."

The worry slight leaves her face, "If you say so, but I'll take the glasses to them. If they make any comments to me, Auruo will do something about it. I just don't want you to start anything with them."

For some odd reason, I feel my face grow warm with embarrassment, "I wasn't going to do that!"

She giggles as she grabs a small tray to set the glasses of water on, "But you're brave. I can never handle customers like that the way you do, even though I own the cafe."

"Petra-"

Before I can say another word to her, she has already made her way to the table of drunken bastards, who I guess are smarter than they seem if they ordered water. Five minutes later, they leave without saying another word to me. _Thank God._

Closing time. One by one, each employee says their goodbyes until the last three people in the cafe are Petra, Bertholdt, and I. Petra is in her office taking care of last minute daily work such as inventory and sales, which Bertl and I are cleaning up the front. Mop in hand, Bertl walks up to me, "Hey, Petra told me some jerks were giving you a hard time tonight. A-Are you sure you're okay closing alone?"

I give him a soft smile, "Yeah, I'll be fine. You can go home if you want."

"You don't need a ride home at all?"

I shake my head, "I have a ride who should be on their way to get me any minute."

Suddenly, Bertl has a shit eating shin, identical to an _Armin shit eating grin_ and tells me, "You blushed. You like this person, don't you?"

What the hell?! I was blushing? I tear my gaze from him, "N-No, I don't."

He giggles. _Giggles._ "Hey, your secret is safe with me."

"Bertl!"

Still giggling, he heads to the back on the cafe to put away the mop and clock out for the night. I look up from cleaning the last of the tables to. Bertl and Petra exiting the cafe.

"Are you sure you don't need help closing?" Petra asks one last time.

"No," I dismiss her with a wave, "I'll be fine. I'll see you both on Monday."

Without any further arguing, Petra waves goodbye, along with Bertl and they both exit the cafe. I sigh and continue cleaning the tables. Once I finish, I double check to make sure everything is taken care of; dishes are clean, register is locked, floor is drying, chairs are stacked, and it didn't miss any table.

I head to the break room where I punch out for the night and grab my bag. I take out my phone and check to see if Levi had sent me any message regarding him picking me up. He did.

_You're such a brat. I'll be there at 10:30._

Smile like an idiot, I shall. My phone reads 10:20; guess I should just wait outside for him and really lock up the cafe now. I tiptoe my way to the front door, hoping not to mess up the clean floors that are drying. I exit the cafe, taking out my eyes which have a key to the cafe attached to them. Every single employee has one, because. Petra told you your first day that at some point you will be closing no matter what.

For a summer night, it's quite chilly. The sky is clear enough to see the stars, even though we're fairly into the city. Not too many cars pass me by, which adds to the chill to the air that's sending goosebumps down my back. Trust me, I'm a night owl, but being alone in the city like this gives me the creeps. Usually I don't have to worry about anything, because I'll have the car Mikasa and I share, Mikasa would be here already if she did, or I would get a ride from Petra. This is my first time waiting.

Suddenly, I hear a cluster of footsteps to my right. I hold in a breath, pretending I don't notice the sounds getting louder and drawing nearer.

"Oh, poor _Eren_ , did your date ditch you?"

_I fucking knew it._

It's those six drunken bastard that harassed me at the cafe. All six, don't seem to stumble as much as before, but that still doesn't ease up my nerves as they walk closer to me. They surround me,each of them eyeing me up and down like I am one of the pastries we serve at the cafe. This isn't good. Maybe if I just keep my mouth shut, they'll eventually go away... _I hope._

"C'mon, Eren. You've been ditched. Come hang with us. We'll show you a good time." One of them tried to take a step towards me, but I back away from him. Unfortunately, this makes me run into another one of them. 

He wraps an arm around my waist and his other around my chest, catching me in his grasp, "Oh ho, someone is in trouble."

I'm trembling. Of course, I have to be. Another man comes up to me and lifts up my shirt, "We made the perfect catch tonight, gentlemen."

He reaches to touch my stomach, and it's as if the ticking time bomb inside of me finally decides to grace us with its presence. I start thrashing about like a mad man in hopes of breaking free. For a drunken bastard, he's pretty strong. This is definitely not what I expected. I'm definitely panicking now as all now all six of the men are trying to me down.

"Hold fucking still, brat. We aren't going to hurt you."

I want to scream. But I can't. I want to yell. But I can't. I want to cry. But I can't. I want-

"Hey. What's going on?"

My attackers freeze. Hell, even I freeze.  
I barely manage to choke out, "L-Levi..."

Standing ten feet away from as, calm as ever, is Levi. He's twirling his car keys around his pointer finger of his right hand. If looks could kill, he has probably murdered all six of these guys three times already. 

"Oh, so you're the ditch that ditched your little boy toy..."

Levi raises an eyebrow, "My what?"

The same man reaches up my shirt and begins to trace his cracked fingers over my stomach, sending terrifying shivers across my whole body, "What a shame. We thought we'd take the brat off your hands for the night since you took so long to show up. Don't worry. We'll take good care of-"

And then suddenly, said man is sent flying backwards, head smacking the pavement with a cracking thud... By a punch thrown by Levi. I'm awe struck. I'm dumbfounded. Levi had to have broken a knuckle or two with that kind of punch, but still... That punch had _power._ The dude is out cold.

Another guy tries to lunge forwards at Levi with a punch, but very gracefully, Levi dodges the punch, then sweeps the guy's legs from underneath him, sending him tumbling down on top of the unconscious man. Two of them let me go and try to double team on him. One of the men tries to intimidate him while the other sneaks up behind him to make his move. The man behind Levi winds up to throw a punch.

"Levi-", before I can call out to him, Levi ducks, causing the man to punch his fellow friend straight on the nose. Distracted by his bloody nose, Levi takes the opportunity to grab him by the shoulders and give him one strong ass headbutt. He, too, falls on top of his two other friends.

Before the guy who threw the accident punch can make his move, Levi turns around and eyeballs him with a deadly glare that probably just made the guy shit his pants. He runs back over to me and his two buddies who are still holding me hostage and pulls out a knife. He holds the blade nearly millimeters from my neck, causing me to hold my breath in fear of my Adam's apple bobbing across the blade.

Levi sighs, "Put that thing away before you hurt yourself."

"You can't tell me what to do, shortie!"

I see the corners of Levi's mouth twitch. _Oh shit. The guy hit a nerve._

"Hey. Why don't you come and say that to my face... Huh?"

The guy hands the knife to one of his buddies, and casually strolls up to Levi. He gets real close to him, then looks down and barely whispers, "Short stack."

Not even a split second later, Levi knees the man in his balls, sending him straight to the ground with his hands cupping his clothed junk. I hold back a laugh (due to the man's priceless expression) as Levi just begins to kick the shit out of him. The two men holding me start to loosen their grips on me, more concerned about their friend being pummeled into a pulp.

"H-Hey, buddy," one of them calls out to Levi, "calm down, will ya?"

Levi turns to the two men and I, staring daggers into their eyes, "Calm down? If you want me to, let go of him."

Without a second thought, the two men release their grips on me. I don't have time to react when Levi has a grip on my waist and gives a slight tug, sending me crashing into him. He snakes an arm around my waist and holds me against his small but built frame, "The only person that is allowed to call him a brat is me. He's mine. If I ever catch you coming near this cafe or him ever again, you will be hearing from me. Understood?" 

The men nod their heads frantically.

"Good. Now wake up your dumbass friends and leave before I need to teach you shits more discipline."

As the men rush to their injured friends, Levi tightens his grip on my wrist and drags me along to wherever he parked his beautiful black car. My mind is running at a hundred miles an hour. Levi had played along with whatever those men we accusing him of being, which was my boyfriend. I can still feel is touch on my side; the roughness of his finger tips through the thin fabric of my t-shirt. I can still feel his body structure against me, as if he was shielding me. Protecting me. 

As quickly as my blush rises to my face, it disappears. I highly doubt he did this for me. He probably protected me like this because Mikasa would be devastated if she found out what could have, or would have happened to me. I feel like someone just took a shard of glass and plunged it deep into a heart and twisted it a couple of times just to make sure the damage had been done.

My eyes focus on the raven haired man in front of me. A sudden urge of curiosity fills my veins about him. How did him and Mikasa meet? How did they become a couple? Does Levi have any friends? If so, what are they like? What does Levi do outside of his job besides spending time with my sister and "friends"? Favorite movie? Song? Artist? Color? Food? I want to know more about him, even if that means I can just stay his friend. Or acquaintance. Or... Brother? Whatever title he may use with me, even if it's brat, I want us to be close. 

We reach his car, which is in just two blocks down from the cafe. Why he parked so far from the cafe, I am curious about that, but I don't bring it up. He takes his keys out from the pocket of his black jeans and unlocks the car. He opens the passenger door for me and I step inside cautiously as he makes his way over to the driver's side of the car. Silence. He gets in his car, puts the key in the ignition, puts the car in drive, and we begin the awkward descend to my house.

Levi doesn't even put music on. There's nothing but silence. All of his attention is to the dark road ahead of him. I try to keep my eyes forward, but this is killing me. I keep stealing glances to the man in the car with me. His stoic expression is making me nervous - he could be thinking anything at this point. He could be relieved that nothing happened to me. He could annoyed and pissed off that he had to help out an idiot like me defend myself from a couple of drunken bastard. It wouldn't surprise me if it was the latter of the two. I suddenly feel the need to apologize to him. Hell, I haven't even thanked him for saving my ass back there. _You're a lost cause, Eren._

I begin to speak up, "Levi, I-"

"Dammit, Eren!" His voice wasn't loud, but was intimidating, if that's the right word. Intimidating, meaning I don't know if he's mad or concerned. "Do you have a functioning brain in that head of yours?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why didn't you just wait for me to show up, _then_ proceed to lock all doors and finish closing up the cafe? It's the city, Eren. Freaks are everywhere on these streets. They're disgusting."

"I-"

"No, shut up for a second. You're young, Eren. You're a fairly descent looking form of human." As weird as he stated that, I still couldn't stop the blush from creeping along my cheeks. "Men and women can be pigs. You need to be careful. Next time, just wait for me inside, okay, brat?"

My eyebrow raises, "Next time?"

He shrugs, "I don't know. I can just see you oversleeping or some shit again and you calling me in a panic, once again, and begging for a ride to work... Yet again."

I blush again, this time out of embarrassment, and huff, "Whatever."

I hear something very close to a faint chuckle escape his lips, "You're such a brat."

Wanting to talk back and yeah, _be a brat_ , a crimson color catches the attention of my turquoise orbs, "Shit, Levi, your hand... It's bleeding!"

He brings his hand up to his eyes, "Huh, I guess I did get cut by that bastard's teeth. Fucking sick."

"I... I can disinfect it and bandage it up when we get to my house."

He nods in response.

"Hey, Levi. Can I play some music? I want to know what you like to listen to."

"Doesn't matter to me."

I grab Levi's iPod that is wired up to his car and begin to scroll through it once again. It's still hard to believe Levi's taste in music as I scroll through every Katy Perry, Adam Lambert, Journey, and Imagine Dragons song imaginable (along with songs by other artists). The name of one song kind of calls itself out to me; "Bleeding Out" by Imagine Dragons. Maybe it's due to the fact Levi's hand is turning into a bloody mess, but I'm also quite curious. I select the song and let the beautiful melody pull me in.

_I'm bleeding out._  
 _So if the last thing that I do,_  
 _Is bring you down,_  
 _I'll bleed out for you._  
 _So I bare my skin,_  
 _And I count my sins,_  
 _And I close my eyes,_  
 _And I take it in._  
 _I'm bleeding out._  
 _I'm bleeding out for you, for you._

...

____________________________________________________

 

"Well, at least you don't have to get stitches."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I won't get rabies. God only knows what type of shit has been in that bastards mouth."

I let out a slight chuckle as I dap a cloth covered with disinfectant on Levi's cut on his hand. The bleeding has resided a little bit, but his hand is covered in dry blood. I grab the extra towel I have sitting next to me on the kitchen table and begin to clean his hand to get rid of said dry blood. I can feel his gaze alternating from his hands to my face. Every few second, I shift uncomfortably on the kitchen chair I am currently sitting in.

I set that towel down, then grab two bandages and cover his cut. Then, as a safety precaution, I take a small length of gauze and begin to wrap his hand. My mom used to always do that when I got cuts and scrapes as a kid, just in case the bandages weren't able to hold back rushing blood. It's become a habit of mine to do that whenever I got injured after she and dad passed.

"What's the matter, kid?"

"What?" I cough. "What do you mean?"

"You just made a face. A thinking face, like you were constipated or something."

 _What's with this man and my shit..._ I laugh a little awkwardly before answering, "Oh, it's nothing. Just... Kind of thinking about my parents."

"Ah. I'm sorry. Mikasa told me about them."

"Yeah," I sigh. "I'm... Kind of doing what my mom did to me whenever I got injured. It's become a habit."

"Hm. Your mom must know her stuff. I never thought about doing this before. This would have helped me a lot when I was young."

I can't help the giggle that leaves past my lips, "Was Levi a clumsy little boy?"

He smacks me on the back of my head with his uninjured hand, "That's none of your business, brat."

 _But I want it to be my business._ It's these little things that make me think that Levi is definitely a character. I wonder what he was like as a kid. Was he as stoic as he is now? Or was he cheerful? What was is relationship with his parents like when he was a kid? Does he still talk to them? Are they alive? The pain in my chest returns as the questions being rambled on in my mind repeat themselves.

Why am I so desperate in trying to get to know Levi?

I finish wrapping the gauze around his hand. Before either of us can pull our hands away, I give his hand a gentle squeeze, my fingers lingering. My fingers aching for the contact to continue.

"Hey... Levi..."

"Hm?"

"Th-Thank you. For... Tonight. For stopping them. For saving me. Thank you."

Suddenly, fingers are combing their way through my brown locks and give a quick ruffle. I quickly lift my gaze away from Levi's injured hand to be greeted by his eyes. His steel grey eyes. The longer you look into them, more they look like they're more of a dark blue. A blue very similar to a stormy night sky. I'm floating through the dark clouds his eyes hold.

"Just don't scare me again, brat. Got it?"

I swallow a lump of air in my throat and nod.

"Good. And thank you for this."

"N-No problem. I-I don't know if I got all of the blood off your hand good enough, b-but-"

"It's okay. I'll take care of it later."

"O-Okay."

_Damn, Eren. Since when did you turn into a stuttering, little bitch?_

The sound of the front door begin unlocked echoes throughout the first floor and startles me and Levi.

"Eren. I'm home."

_Crap... Mikasa!_ I quickly release Levi's hand from my own and bring my hands to lap. I can hear my sister close the front door, locking it back up behind her, then proceed to walk into the kitchen where Levi and I are sitting. She walks in and immediately, her eyes grow big with shock. 

"Levi. What're doing here?" 

He lifts up his injured hand to show her, "Shit happens. Eren was just helping me get through it." 

He's not saying anything about tonight. I guess, at some point, it must have crossed Levi's mind that if he told Mikasa what happened tonight outside of the cafe that she would worry about me, and I don't like it when she worries too much. I guess... Maybe. 

"Oh wow. Well, at least whatever happened that you're okay. Eren is definitely a master when it comes to things like this. Just like mom." 

She walks over to us, giving me a quick peck on the cheek, followed by Levi. Seeing that quick, physical contact between the two of them up close and personal definitely sent another ping of pain down from my mind to my chest where my heart is beating. 

"I'm..." I quickly stand up, pushing in the kitchen chair, "I'm going to head to bed." 

"Oh, really?" Mikasa stands up more straight. "Are you feeling okay? You usually don't go to bed around this time." 

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reassure her. "I'm just tired as hell." 

"Oh, okay." Your face drops a bit, disappointed that I didn't tell her what's on my mind. "Well, goodnight." 

"Goodnight," I give my sister a quick kiss on the cheek. I then turn to Levi, who is still sitting down. I was hoping I could still talk to him without my sister being around. I give him a slight nod, "Goodnight, Levi." 

"Goodnight, Eren." 

The way his name rolls off his tongue feels heavy on my chest. Without a second glance, I rush upstairs and into my room. I probably close the door harder than necessary, too. This bites. All of it. I shouldn't be feeling like this. I let out the biggest sigh I could ever imagine and throw myself into my bed. 

I think about calling Armin to tell him what happened today. I think about asking him if he wants to go on skype instead so I can see his facial expressions. I think about if Armin is actually even awake at this time of the night. My best friend is more of an early bird than a night owl when you get right to it. The only times he would usually stay up late is if he's studying for a really important test, or I force him to play video games with me. 

Mikasa lets out an obnoxious laugh from downstairs that pulls me out of my thoughts. That laugh; I haven't heard Mikasa laugh like that in ages. Levi can make Mikasa laugh like that, when it have been trying so hard ever since mom and dad died. Levi can make Mikasa happy. He can make her smile. He can make her _laugh._

I definitely shouldn't be feeling this. 

I grab a pillow, wrapping my arms around it, and shove my face into it. The warmth of my breath on my face, smelling like coffee and frosting, surprisingly doesn't calm me down at all. What are they talking about down there? What are doing down there? Since when did Mikasa start laughing like that around Levi? 

There it is. That pain again. 

I close my eyes. 

I can't believe that I'm jealous of my own sister. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all better be looking up "Bleeding Out" by Imagine Dragons after this because the song is hella fab.
> 
> If you have any questions, comments, and such... Don't be shy. Feel free to vent your thoughts:)
> 
> My tumblr is also SecretGhostGirl if you'd rather ask me there. I welcome everyone with open arms \^.^/


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